Questions and Answers

Hi all,

I am booking a flight from BKK back to the US and have a couple different options and wanted to see if there were strong opinions one way or another.

I currently have booked BKK-NRT-SAN on JAL in business class with both segments on a 787-8 with their Shell Flat Neo seats ([URL]http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inter/service/business/seat/shellflatneo.html[/URL]). These were booked using AA miles. Note that these are NOT the newest SkySuite seats that JAL has on some of their newer 787 routes.

However while browsing I just now saw availability on Etihad in business class BKK-AUH-LAX with the aircraft type 77W and 77L. Looking at the Etihad website, it appears both segments are with their lie-flat bed configuration and not their newer Business Studio

Both flights reach the west coast at approximately the same times and will still allow me to make an AA connection that afternoon to DFW so both could potentially work for me (aside from the Etihad flight leaving BKK middle of the night vs first thing in the morning with JAL).

I am struggling to find good business class trip reports of the Etihad flights — can anybody here opine on whether the Etihad business class experience (food, seat, drinks, onboard service) is vastly superior to the JAL one? Is it a no brainer that I should switch my itinerary to Etihad?

Etihad’s hard product is probably better than JAL old business class since it’s a flat bed instead of angle flat. However, routing via AUH for your itinerary will be priced as 2 awards.

I’d try to get on to one of JALs other flights with the new business class or maybe try to find space on Cathay

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 18735, member: 29″]Etihad’s hard product is probably better than JAL old business class since it’s a flat bed instead of angle flat. However, routing via AUH for your itinerary will be priced as 2 awards.

I’d try to get on to one of JALs other flights with the new business class or maybe try to find space on Cathay[/QUOTE]

Oh, I didn’t realize it would price as two awards – good to know, thanks. Ideally award space will open up on the NRT-DFW flight which would be best since it has the new 787 seats and would allow us to drop the SAN connection.

JAL serves several destinations in North America and if your award terminates in DFW, you shouldn’t have a problem getting a connecting flight on AA